Excerpted from Chop Chop by Ozoz Sokoh. Copyright © 2025 by Ozoz Sokoh. Photographs copyright ©2025 by James Ransom. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8.5 ounces/240 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces/100 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons full-fat powdered milk
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Neutral oil, for frying
Directions
- In a large transparent bowl (it makes it easier to see how much the dough has risen), whisk together the flour, sugar, powdered milk, yeast, baking powder, and nutmeg.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in 1⅓ cups (320 ml) lukewarm water. With clean hands or a wooden spoon, mix gradually in one direction. The mixture will resemble lumpy oatmeal at first and then smoothen out to form a cohesive, sticky dough.
- Sprinkle the dough with the salt and mix until it becomes smooth and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl loosely with a large, damp kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. The top might remain smooth, but if you tear it open, you should see a network of bubbles. Gently deflate the dough, knocking out the air bubbles.
- Stir the dough to even out the texture and let sit to allow the gluten to relax, about 30 minutes. Fill a wok or large Dutch oven with 1½ to 2 inches (3.8 to 5 cm) of oil; it should come no more than halfway up the vessel.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 330°F (165°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack or paper towels. Dip a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop into the hot oil, then scoop up a portion of dough and carefully drop it into the oil. (Alternatively, dip two spoons into the hot oil, then use one of them to scoop the dough shaping by hand: Some Nigerian cooks who are comfortable with piping bag or large zip-top bag: Put a piping bag or large zip-top and the other to shape the portion into a round before dropping it into the oil.) Working quickly, repeat the process to add more dough until the surface of the oil is full. Fry, using a fork or skewer to turn the puff puff as needed, until puffed and golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the puff puff to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, allowing the oil to return to temperature between batches. Serve hot or warm. Leftover puff puff can be cooled and then frozen in freezer bags or containers for up to 1 month and reheated in the microwave.